


We look like we feel

by PollyDarton



Series: First kisses and emo songs [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, First Kiss, Marauders, jily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:28:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24464221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PollyDarton/pseuds/PollyDarton
Summary: I watch you spin around in the highest heels. You are the best one, of the best ones.James and Lily's first kiss. It's all good and warm teenage feelings. Canon compliant.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Series: First kisses and emo songs [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1845448
Kudos: 28





	We look like we feel

**Author's Note:**

> This may be the first of a series of first kisses.  
> Title and description borrowed from Dashboard Confessional's 2007 song _Stolen_.

**1977**

It was late, past curfew and James was sitting behind a tapestry, making sparks come out of his wand, when he heard footsteps approaching;

_McGonagall?_

Not wanting to be caught slacking on his Head Boy duty, James slipped from behind the tapestry and stood very straight waiting for his company to reach him, only it wasn’t McGonagall.

James could sense her in his chest before he could really see her:

_Evans._

The boy changed his posture to a more relaxed one and as the first strand of auburn sent his heart into a frenesi, he ran a hand through his hair.

“Oh, Hey.” Lily smiled a bit and _was that a blush on her cheeks?_

“Hey.” James smiled back feeling that his hands were such a weird annex and suddenly wouldn’t be good placed anywhere on his body.

“What are you doing?” Lily asked suspicious, for the boy was one to rarely ever be up to something good when sneaking around the castle at night.

“Patrolling the halls. Head Boy, remember?” James pointed to the small badge on the front of his robes.

“Oh, yeah.” She acquiesced, and feeling brave asked: “Let’s go, then?”

James made an effort not to stutter:

“Yeah.” He took a breath, “Maybe we’ll run into Remus.”

“It’s a full moon tonight.” Lily said lightly, looking out as they passed by the windows.

“Tomorrow, actually.”

Lily hummed an agreement through her lips.

“There was a werewolf attack this week, did you see?”

James felt his heart skip a beat and cleared his throat before responding:

“Yeah… A little girl, right?” He pushed his glasses up nervously and looked at Lily sideways, but she only nodded looking serious and said no more. “We’re gonna win this war, you know.”

“How do you know?”

“Just do.” James shrugged.

Lily felt a smile tugging at the corner of her lips and looked away, afraid to meet his eyes.

“You weren’t at dinner tonight.” She said when she felt calmer.

“Quidditch practice went longer than expected.”

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“I was actually thinking of going down to the kitchens for a bite. Wanna come?”

Lily considered the idea for a moment, torn between not wanting to break the rules and wanting to see the extent of this new James that showed himself this term.

“Okay.”

He smiled and she bit her lip looking away again.

They walked in silence through the corridors, not finding any students out of bed, and Lily told herself that this was okay, even when she let him walk in front of her as they reached the front hall.

She followed him down the stairs and through the candle lit corridor, and they both stopped when they reached the painting with a bowl of fruit on it. James tickled the pear on the painting and, when it turned into a doorknob, used it to open the door while looking at Lily’s unsure face.

“I don’t think we’re supposed to be down here.” She looked behind her at the empty corridor as if expecting professor Sprout to appear and redact points from them.

“It’s okay. You’ll see.” James entered the kitchen followed by Lily and they were quickly surrounded by house elves who greeted them enthusiastically and started immediately setting plates of food on the nearest table. James smiled at Lily and made way to the table, where he sat and pulled towards him the treacle tart of which he cut a slice and set on a plate.

“It’s your favorite, right?” He said lifting the plate towards Lily, who took it with one raised eyebrow.

“Yeah,” She sat across from him “how did you know?”

James blinked a couple times trying to think of an answer, but was thankfully saved by the house elf who started pouring tea in two mugs while asking if they wanted anything else. Both kids thanked the elf and stayed silent for a moment while Lily ate the dessert and James tried to make his hands stop shaking.

Lily could sense James’ nervousness hitting her like waves as he ate from his own plate, and wondered if the boy could feel hers as well. She touched the last piece of pie with her fork but didn’t eat, thinking hard about something to say that would end the silence and make their time together last.

“Do you come down here often?” She hoped she didn’t sound as accusing as she did in the past and that he could see she was trying to make amends.

“Sometimes. I don’t always eat, though, sometimes I just like to come and talk to the elves.”

“You just… Talk to them?”

“Yeah. I like to hear their stories, where they’re from and stuff.” He chewed for a moment. “It’s interesting.” He finished awkwardly and ran a hand through his hair.

Lily shoved the last piece of pie in her mouth and stood up abruptly, James’ words making her feel nervous in a way she wasn’t used to.

“We should go. We shouldn’t be caught in the kitchens at this time.”

James, caught off guard by the suddenness of her movement, finished the food on his plate and stood up. Both kids thanked the elves again, and were thanked by them in return.

“Is everything ok?” James felt insecure as they left the kitchen and the door was closed behind them.

“Yeah…” They walked into the seventh floor corridor in a somewhat awkward silence, and there the moonlight that entered through the windows made golden squares on the floor. James had taken two steps towards the Fat Lady painting when he noticed that Lily wasn’t by his side anymore. When he turned around he saw she had stopped and was looking to the sky through the window, looking thoughtful.

“Evans…?”

“Why did you stop asking me out?” Lily interrupted. James felt his already uneasy heart beat faster and wondered how long it would take for it to plummet out of his chest.

“What?” He approached her again searching for a sign, any sign, even the smallest one that this was what he wanted most.

“You used to ask me out all the time in the past. And you haven’t asked once since this term started. What happened? Was it just a game?” She felt her tone getting more accusative with every sentence and tried to make her expression softer when she lifted her eyes to meet his. “Or you fancy someone new?”

“Jealous, Evans?” He smirked a bit sounding and looking more confident than he actually felt, but it was the glint of mischief in his eyes that made Lily roll hers and cross her arms, trying to keep control.

When she didn’t answer and instead just looked outside the window with her arms still crossed James reached over and tugged a little at the elbow of her sleeve:

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

At his soft question Lily looked at his stretched arm and then at the perfect golden light square on the floor, sitting perfectly between the toes of their shoes. She lifted her eyes and, when they met his, she felt a tightness in her stomach and the impulse she’d been trying to control all night fought to take over.

James was about to ask again, but she stepped into the light and he saw her emerald like eyes look intently into his, and, before he could take in the entirety of their intent, they were closing and her hands landed lightly on his shoulders as her lips touched his.

Without a second’s hesitation his arms wrapped around her waist and he was sure the entire castle could hear the scream of joy echoing inside his skull as he kissed her back.

“Damn,” She sighed “You’re fun to kiss.”

James half laughed and, feeling bold, kissed her again in an attempt to make himself believe this was real even when it felt so much like a dream.

Lily was sure she could feel James’ heart hammering alongside hers as she ran her hands through his devious hair and kissed him back. They split up for a moment with their arms around each other when they heard light footsteps approaching.

“We shouldn’t be out here.” Lily blinked a few times and ran her hands down his arms stopping at his fingers as she took a step back into the moonlight.

James took her hand into his own and pulled her towards the Gryffindor Tower.

“ _Pimpinella_.” He said and the Fat Lady turned on her hinges with a knowing smile on her lips.

James passed through the hole still holding Lily’s Hand and stopped to look at her when she entered and the portrait swung back to its former place.

Lily looked around the room and saw that it was empty except for one sixth year student drooling on his homework. She curled her index finger around James’ and guided him to a far corner of the room, where she pushed him gently against a wall and pressed her whole body against his and, standing on her tiptoes, kissed him again, all smiles and flushed cheeks.

They turned to look as the Fat Lady rotated forward one more time and a pale looking Remus Lupin entered through the portrait hole. He looked around and, spotting James and Lily wrapped around each other on the corner, raised his brows slightly but said nothing.

James felt the blood rush to his cheeks once again and, feeling proud, nodded towards Remus, who nodded back smiling a bit, and went up the stairs to the boys dormroom.

There was a moment of silence in which Lily bit her lip and played absentmindedly with the front of James’ robes, thinking of something to say but feeling content in the closeness.

“I thought you hated me.” James ran a hand through hairs distractedly and pushed his glasses up his nose.

“What?”

“You asked… Why I stopped asking you out.” James put a strand of Lily’s hair behind her ear and touched the jewel that lied there “I thought you hated me.”

Lily’s smile changed her entire face and, with emerald eyes sparkling, she scrunched her nose a bit and replied:

“Nah.”

Best three letters James


End file.
